Teasers
by Brianna Aisling
Summary: Some teasers for potential stories. I'm interested in what peaks your interest, but the stories may be a long time in coming, so read at your own risk. Thanks.
1. Lord

Hey, here are teasers. Read them and then review and tell me which ones you want to read all of. Then, I'll write them. Some have more written than what's shown, and others are all that I have written.  
  
*****  
  
This is a story where Ranma is a young lord and Akane is a fighter he has bought. They fall in love and he wants to marry her but due to laws and the threat of Lord Kuno, he is unable to.  
  
  
  
A young lord stood at the back of the crowd, watching as slaves were led across the auction block. None had caught his eye, and he doubted any would. He stood for a moment longer and then sighed. He began moving through the crowds again. He passed one auction block and then another and was about to pass a third when a voice spoke behind him.  
  
"Specialty fighters are up next, my Lord." He turned to see a tiny man leaning on a cane, looking at him through beady eyes.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Specialty fighters, they are next. A young woman, strong, pretty, worthy."  
  
"I don't buy women."  
  
"What about your Amazon?"  
  
"I didn't buy her."  
  
"She's worth it. Buy her. She next." Then, he was gone. The young lord stood there a moment startled. A silence settled over the crowd around him, and he turned to peer at the seller's block. A thin, bony man stood at the box, watching something beyond the sight of the audience. This man was known for his slaves. They were often powerful and worth more then the price paid for them, no matter what was paid. Many of the buyers today had come simply to see the young woman he had brought with him this time. The lord moved forward just as the seller turned to the audience. His voice rose easily above the crowd.  
  
"Specialty fighter, woman, age unknown, mid-twenties, class ten." As he spoke, a trainer brought out the slave. Trainers only worked to keep unruly slaves in control. If one started to panic or attack in an attempt to free himself, the trainer would do what ever was necessary to subdue them. The job paid well because few were brave enough to risk their lives in that fashion.  
  
The young woman who followed was indeed pretty. The lord felt his breath catch. She had hair darker than his; so dark it shone blue in the weak sunlight. It hung to her waist and was tied back with a strip of leather. Her dress was simple and seemed to accentuate her figure. Her arms were tied together in front of her, bound at the wrists, which in turn were bound to her neck. The strap connecting her wrists and neck was short so that she had to hold her arms up in front of herself. He tried to sense her, to test her strength. He could sense nothing, but she turned her gaze to him unerringly while he was trying. When the bidding began, he bid. His eyes never left hers. In the end, he was walking home a trainer and a slave who stood a good chance of capturing his heart.  
  
******  
  
Akane smiled at him brightly and the shut the door in his face. Ranma snarled and pounded on the door with one fist.  
  
"Stupid, uncute tomboy!" he shouted in a display of temper that had once been rare. In her room, Akane ignored him.  
  
******  
  
Ranma sat up in his bed. The air in his room felt odd, as if something had been added or was missing. Something shifted in his bed and Ranma looked down. A woman's figure was in the bed next to him. For a numbing moment, he couldn't figure out who it was. Then the woman rolled over and blinked up at him, her eyes filled with sleep. Suddenly they cleared. Akane pulled the sheets to herself as she rolled off the soft mattress. She stood next to the bed, her eyes averted. He could see that she was trembling.  
  
"Forgive me—" Anger so intense it scared him filled Ranma. She was asking forgiveness?  
  
"What the hell for? You didn't do anything. I'm the one who should have had control." He turned his back on her and immediately regretted it. The sound of someone walking away in sheets filled the air. Ranma turned and jumped across the bed. He caught her around the waist and pulled her back against him.  
  
"Don't you dare leave," he hissed. He had no idea what was going on inside of him. He only knew that he wanted her to stay. She turned her head to look up at him and he kissed her hard. He felt her turn completely in his arms. She pulled the sheets from her body and then pressed herself against him.  
  
******  
  
"Oh, Ranma. I'm pregnant." An uncontrolled, incredibly vibrant smile grew on his face.  
  
"That's wonderful, Akane! I had hoped you'd be the one to give me my first- born." It finally dawned on him that she wasn't happy. His joy crashed into hurt. "Aren't you happy?" he asked.  
  
"I'm thrilled, Ranma. Honestly, I am, but I won't be able to fight and that means that Shampoo will win and she'll-she'll—" She broke off sobbing again. Ranma tightened his grip on Akane.  
  
"I'd never allow it, Akane, and you know it. I will not do that with her."  
  
"But you'll have to!" she wailed. "It's part of the tournament! I don't want you to! Your mine and all your children are mine and I won't allow it." Ranma gaped at her ferocity. She meant business about him being hers, and he loved it. Never before had someone wanted him so completely. Never before had a woman refused to share him, or even accept the possibility of another bearing his children. The knowledge of her possession filled him with passion and he found himself kissing her with great need.  
  
Akane gasped into his mouth as he explored her. Her statement seemed to arouse a great need in him. He seemed to need to possess her in that moment, as if that moment was all that they would have, as if that moment was his promise to her. She realized that that was what it was: a promise. He would never share himself with another. All his children would be hers. Never would his heart or body wander. It was also a claiming. She was his. No one would take her from him. Any one who tried to take her from him would lose their life. If she died, then he died. And with each answering kiss and touch, she was promising him the same, staking the same claim. This was their wedding. 


	2. Swords

A book called "Swordspoint" and a short story by the same author with the same characters inspires this one. If you've read the book (and if you haven't I highly recommend that you do as well as her other books) and the short story, then you'll recognized some of the elements. If you haven't then don't let that stop you; it stands on its own.  
  
  
  
ZERO  
  
Ranma grinned wolfishly at the young man in front of him. The young man returned the grin and Ranma's heart sped up. He fought the reaction and attacked the man viciously. He thrust with his sword and the young man parried in return.  
  
"Quit holding back!" he shouted. "I thought you were the best!" The taunts had the desired effect, causing Ranma to focus and fight in earnest. The young man seemed to enjoy it, his smile growing wider and fiercer. Despite his tighter focus, the grin affected Ranma in the same way it had earlier. Anger filled Ranma and for the first time, he lost control. His attacks and blocks became wild and desperate. The young sword fighter's smile disappeared to be replaced with anger, and Ranma regained his focus. Determined to end it, Ranma disarmed the man and brought the tip of his sword to the younger's throat. The grin reappeared, shaking Ranma. He found himself breathing hard, confused and a bit disgusted with the emotions raging inside of himself. He pushed the tip harder into the boy's skin.  
  
"Who are you?" The smile disappeared, to be replaced with an unreadable expression.  
  
"I am..." he paused, his eyes sliding from Ranma's to look over his shoulder. The young man sighed and suddenly was out from behind the sword's point and walking away from Ranma. Over his shoulder, he called the answer to Ranma's question.  
  
"I am nobody." Ranma stood staring after him, watching as the young man pulled his hair loose and shook it out. There was so much sadness in his stance that Ranma found that his chest hurt.  
  
The young lady before him pouted prettily, causing Ranma's body to stir.  
  
"But, Ranma, you promised."  
  
"I know, Ucchan, but things come up. I'll make it up to you. I promise." He bent down and pulled the girl against his body. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him passionately.  
  
"I'll hold you to that, love." Ranma waved a hand carelessly and left the woman staring after him. She was beautiful. Her hair was a light brown and hung down to her ankles. She was an exceptional fighter, as all of his women were, but still not as good as he was. Her eyes were a muddy green, not attractive, but bright with life. She wanted nothing more than to marry the master swordsman, but he was forever pulling away. There was also the problem of his other lover, Shampoo. She was as attractive as Ukyo, as skilled a fighter, and as skilled a cook. It also seemed as if they had the same skills as a lover, because he had yet to choose between them.  
  
Ranma grinned to himself as he walked away from Ukyo's tavern. He had been terrified that he had begun to be attracted to men. This encounter though had proven that thought wrong. The young man though had struck something else in Ranma, and that was a need to be pushed. For reasons he chose to describe as a need for a challenge, Ranma found himself wishing for the young man to return.  
  
Akane stared down the road at Ranma. He had been everything she'd hoped. And more. Too much more. He made her want to reveal her secret. Viciously, Akane shook her head. She could never do that. Too often, she had been put down and denied a chance to learn because of her gender; she wasn't going to just hand him that information. A quick grin rose to her lips. She would approach him again soon.  
  
ONE  
  
Ranma jumped the stairs three at a time, eager to be home. He wanted to wash, change, and then go to Shampoo's. She had informed him that her grandmother was gone for the evening and that meant he could spend the night. His grin widened and took on a feral look. He skid to a stop in the hallway when he caught sight of a person standing beside his door. With an uncontrolled thump of his heart, Ranma realized that he knew that person.  
  
Akane grinned at Ranma. It amused her how he blushed so easily. During their fight, he had had a perpetual blush. She wondered if he was always like this. It seemed strange to her that he would be such an exceptional fighter and yet be so easily flustered. He greeted her casually.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I wanted to ask you to teach me." Ranma started. This he hadn't expected. He wanted to say no and save himself the confusion, but his mouth once again took control  
  
"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Akane's smile faltered slightly. She turned her face away slightly as memories of her family and her home rushed through her. She missed Ranma's eyes widening as her voice froze.  
  
"No. I have no home." Ranma controlled the urge to reach out and hug the young man before him.  
  
****  
  
She needed a fight, a bloody, painful, exhausting fight. She had lost control last night and Ranma had seen more than she had wanted him to see. Just looking into his eyes had destroyed all the appeasement of the night before. He had seemed hurt and shocked. It was more than she could stand. She needed to destroy something. She needed to hurt herself or someone else.  
  
Akane found herself in the darkest part of town, almost by accident. She could hear the men in the shadows. She wished she had worn a dress. It would attract them. Her pants and her sword, though, discouraged them and she arrived at her destination unharmed.  
  
****  
  
Akane packed silently and quickly. Despite all the time she had spent with Ranma she still had little more than she did when she moved in with him. She went to the door and opened it. Ranma fell to the floor in front of her, landing against her ankles. She glared down at him, her cheeks flushed. No matter how drunk she got, she could never forget what she had done when she was drunk. Last night had been a spectacular loss of self- control, and she remembered every second of it. As she stood there glaring down at him, Ranma's eyes opened. When they locked on to her brown ones, she swore that she could see him forget how to breathe. Nervous, angry, hopeful, she took a step back and sent him to the floor. He rolled quickly onto his stomach and then climbed up to his feet. His eyes never left hers despite her efforts. In his peripheral vision, he noted her bag.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked.  
  
"I told you I was leaving last night."  
  
"Yes, but you didn't say where." She could barely stand to be so close to him without some sort of contact.  
  
"Why do you care?" He cocked his head to the side.  
  
"Because I do." She rolled her eyes and scowled at him.  
  
"What kind of answer is that? Besides, you shouldn't. All I've done is lie to you."  
  
"At least you didn't try to seduce me."  
  
"Oh, yes, and that would have worked. A young man seducing the great womanizer. I don't think so." Ranma gave her an odd grin.  
  
"Actually, it would have worked." Akane stared at him shocked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"If it had been you, I would have fallen for it. I was attracted to you the first time I met you. I thought I was starting to be attracted to men, but after a while, I realized that it was only you to whom I was attracted."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes. I think I fell in love." Akane took a step backwards.  
  
"No." Ranma grinned at her, and took a step forward.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You can't love me. I-I-I am not worthy to be loved. I am not worthy to love. You have no idea what I've done."  
  
"Doesn't matter."  
  
"Yes! It does!"  
  
"Why?" he asked as he stepped closed to her. "You don't know all that I've done." Akane screamed, furious. She could not handle this. Everything in her wanted to stay and let him love her, but she was so. Damn. Unworthy. She swung at him with her fist, surprising him.  
  
"God damn you, you bastard! I cannot do this! Leave me the fuck alone!" she screamed at him. Pushing past him, she ran down the stairs and out into the street. Ranma followed her.  
  
"Akane!" he screamed. "Akane! Come back!" The desperation was obvious to everyone, including him. He didn't want her to go. He wanted her to stay and-and-and he didn't know what but it didn't matter. He loved her desperately. She had said she loved him, but she still rejected him. Ranma collapsed against the wall of his apartment building and closed his eyes. He knew, beyond any doubt, that she was the one he would love forever. Now, instead of love, he would have misery. For the first time in his life, Saotome Ranma began to cry. 


	3. Ghost

Ranma found out about the 'man amongst men' promise and committed seppuku. He is attached to his father at first, but then is transferred to Akane. He has to live with her and ends up falling in love.  
  
  
  
Ranma woke. That action alone confused him. He knew where he was and what he was lying on, but the fact that he woke at all was what bothered him. He shouldn't have woken up at all.  
  
Ranma sat up and looked around. His father sat leaning against a tree, holding a piece of paper in his hands. Ranma called out to him, but his father did not respond. Ranma growled irritated and walked over to his father and kicked him. Or tried to. His foot went through his father. Ranma's mouth dropped open and he fell back a couple of steps. His father did not even twitch. Ranma watched as his father looked up, revealing tears on his cheeks, and focused on something before him. Ranma turned to find that his father was starting at his son's body. A wave of nausea rolled over him. It was incredibly unnerving to see one's self lying on the ground, blood pooling around one's body. Genma rose slowly. He looked as if his age was far more than years lived. He wrapped his son's body up and began to prepare for the trip home.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Genma stood on China's shore and looked out across the ocean. He lifted his head and spoke to the sky, unaware that his son's ghost stood next to him.  
  
"I have failed you, as you undoubtedly know, Ranma, but I promise you that once I tell Soun and Nadoka of your death, you will not be alone." Ranma stood gaping at his father as the man walked into the ocean and began to swim.  
  
Ranma blinked as he reappeared beside his father. It was somewhat of a nuisance to have to stay within a certain distance of his father, but Ranma guessed it served some sort of purpose. He just wished he knew what it was.  
  
~~~~~  
  
The Tendo Dojo stood proud despite the rain that was pouring down. Ranma looked at it curious, absentmindedly thanking the deities that rain no longer triggered his curse. He wondered what connections his father had with someone who lived in a place like this.  
  
Kasumi smiled at her sisters as they ran through the house, Akane trying to punish Nabiki for some offense. A knock at the door drew her attention and she left her family to answer it. In the rain stood a large bald man, his eyes heavy with sadness.  
  
"May I help you?" she asked softly.  
  
"Is Tendo Soun home?"  
  
"Yes, he is. Would you like to come in?"  
  
"Yes, thank you." Ranma wondered at the formality of his father. It had been practically none existent when he was alive. 


	4. Switched

This one is set almost immediately after the failed wedding and deals with how Akane came back from the dead. I can't really tell you much more than that.  
  
It begins in the chest, a slight tightening and a shortness of breath. Then it invades your limbs. You go numb, but your entire body is aware. You start to tremble and deep inside the pressure begins to build. You feel it build in your chest and the pressure increases and your body tightens. It builds and builds and then it snaps. You try to run and you're crying and the screams are coming in little gasps and even after you wake up it doesn't go away….  
  
Akane sat in her bed trembling. Her eyes were unfocused still seeing the images that had haunted her in sleep. She held her blankets in tight fists, her knuckles turning white. Her door was flung open and her family tumbled into the room. She did not turn her head. Everyone stood there watching her. Ranma pushed past them.  
  
"Akane," he called softly. She jerked as if she had been slapped. Suddenly she screamed. Swinging her fists wildly, she fled past her family. Ranma ducked one miss-aimed punch and ran after her. He recognized her scream. How many nights had he screamed that same one?  
  
She ran down the stairs and outside. She fell to her knees near the pond and scratched at her arms. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Ranma knelt before her and grabbed her hands.  
  
"Akane. Akane. Akane." She started and pulled back slightly. He could see her come to herself, could see her eyes focus and gain intelligence.  
  
"Akane?"  
  
"Ranma? Ranma?"  
  
"I'm here, Akane." Akane gasped and began to sob. She sagged toward the ground, her weight being held by Ranma's hands around her wrists. He pulled her up and to him, pressing her against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he held her and rocked her back and forth. He could feel her tears on his shoulder. Murmuring softly under his breath, he stroked her hair. He could feel her fists grabbing his shirt. Over her shoulder, he could see her family and his father watching them. Kasumi started toward them but he shook his head. She retreated to stand next to her father.  
  
"Akane," he asked too softly for anyone else to hear, "what did you dream about?"  
  
She didn't answer.  
  
"Akane, what did you dream about?"  
  
"I-I'm standing in a dark room. Something's tied to my arms, but I can't see anything. It's not so bad. It's quiet. Then I smell something. It makes me nauseous. Not because I don't like it but because I know what's going to happen. I start to pull at what's on my arms and legs. I kick and swing my arms wildly. Something hisses behind me. And then-and then—" Her words disappeared into sobs again. Ranma closed his eyes. His whole life he'd had that dream. He'd had those memories. And then Saffron and the wedding, and he didn't have them anymore. He thought it was because he had gotten worse nightmares, those where Akane died and never woke up, her ghost angry with him, asking him why he hadn't saved her. He had thought he'd replaced those nightmares, but he'd lost them. Akane had them. But how? She couldn't know that fear. She couldn't have those same nightmares.  
  
"You have the Nekoken now, don't you?" he asked her.  
  
"Yes," she answered softly.  
  
"And my Jusenkyo curse too." He remembered the first time he had gotten wet and hadn't changed. He'd been in the bath and had thought that it had worn off or something. He hadn't wanted to say anything for reasons he couldn't give words to. He had kept silent, not understanding how he had lost his curse, but afraid words would ruin it. He had thought he'd been dreaming.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I can't," she sobbed and pulled away from him.  
  
*****  
  
Shampoo crept into the bathroom, glancing around to see if anyone was there. To her delight, Ranma was. He was in his cursed form, but that was fine. All he needed as well was some hot water. In her desire to prove herself to her Airen, the young Amazon failed to notice the difference in hairstyle. She did not see the way the redhead's hair fell just shy of her shoulders or curl up at the ends. She did not notice that the pigtail was gone. Padding silently across the floor, Shampoo made her way to onna- Ranma. Just as the redhead was about to step into the furo, she became aware of Shampoo. A strangled shriek escaped her and she pressed herself back against the door.  
  
The presence of dream cats was nothing compared to the presence of an actual cat, as Akane soon discovered. The sight of neko-Shampoo was enough to send the inexperienced martial artist into the Nekoken almost immediately. Stark naked and terribly frightened, a young redhead clawed at neko-Shampoo, knocking her back against the wall. Shampoo fought off a wave of dizziness to see neko-Ranma-chan claw open the door and sniff the air.  
  
Neko-Akane inhaled, searching for something. She caught a hint of it, fresh but not new. Moving slowly, the psuedocat made her way around the house, looking for the scent she craved. She caught it finally coming from a place that smelled of sweat and chi. She pawed open the door and bounded in to her mate. Behind her, neko-Shampoo stared in shock as the redhead she knew to be Ranma bounded over to the male she knew to be Ranma. The Amazon watched the cat-girl knock Ranma off his feet and curl up on his back.  
  
Ranma grunted as a semi-heavy weight landed on his back. He felt it curl up and make itself comfortable. Irritated, he rolled over, knocking it off. He rolled onto his feet, crouched facing his 'attacker', and froze. Ranma found himself looking into very familiar brown eyes. But they were not framed in her familiar face; they were framed in a face he was used to seeing in a mirror. They were framed by red hair and not blue. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was that she was crouched down on her hands and feet, her eyes blank of intelligence but ripe with confusion. The third thing he noticed was that she was naked. It didn't matter though, not right now. He *knew* that she had his curses, but knowing and seeing are two very different things. Unexpectedly, tears came to his eyes. Slowly, he sat down and held out his hand.  
  
"Here, kitty, kitty," he called; imitating her from a video Nabiki had once sold to him. Neko-Akane crept forward hesitantly, then more assured as he held still. She climbed into his lap and curled up, purring contentedly.  
  
"Oh, Akane," he sobbed. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve this. She shouldn't have accepted that woman's deal. He may have been devastated by her death, but he would have survived. The thought made him pause. He tested it again in his mind and discovered that it wasn't true. He realized that he wouldn't have survived her death. He doubted he would have lasted past that night.  
  
It was then that something touched his knee. Ranma started and looked down to find neko-Shampoo looking up at him. He glanced at Akane to find that she had fallen asleep. Shampoo kept looking between him and the girl in his lap. 


	5. Nekoken

This one is about the changes caused by the Nekoken.  
  
  
  
Ranma stood listening to Hiroshi and Disuke discuss the best type of girl. He stifled a yawn, bored out of his mind. He knew his friends didn't understand why he didn't like discussing girls, but for him it wasn't right discussing girls when he already loved one. Ranma smiled slightly at the thought of his fiancée. He thought once again of how, in his private thoughts, Akane was the only one he titled his fiancée. As he pondered this, he realized that it had always been this way. He cared for Ukyo, true, but he didn't want to even date her, much less marry her. Shampoo was nice when she wasn't grabbing him but there was no way he'd ever consider marrying her, and Kodachi was just crazy.  
  
At the first thought of her, Ranma's eyes had begun to scan the lunch crowd for a sign of his fiancée. Once he found her, his eyes stayed on her till he realized that she and her friends were headed somewhere that would take them directly past him. He turned his gaze back to Hiroshi, who was talking at the moment, and followed them only from the corner of his eye. Ranma began picking up the louder parts of their conversation as they neared him. A frown crossed his face as it occurred to him that they should be too far away for him to hear them. Hiroshi and Disuke certainly couldn't hear them.  
  
All thoughts ceased as Akane lifted her eyes to his and gave him a quick, sweet smile. He grinned back and continued to watch her even though she had turned her attention back to her friends. When she passed next to him, Ranma caught a delicious and enticing scent coming from his fiancée. Mesmerized, Ranma turned and followed the girl. His friends stared after him baffled.  
  
Up in front of her, Sayuri and Yuka traded gossip. A thin tendril of pain wormed it way across her abdomen reminding her that her period was due to rear its ugly head soon. Akane sighed and put a hand on her stomach in the vain hope of subduing the pain.  
  
"Hey, Akane, what do you think—" Sayuri's voice faded as she turned around and caught sight of Ranma over Akane's shoulder. Confused at her friend's open-mouthed stare, Akane turned. Ranma continued to walk toward her, his head tilted slightly back, a small smile on his lips, and his eyes half-closed. When he finally stopped, he was so close she could feel his body heat. Akane's eyes widened as he bent toward her slightly, his eyelids dropping a little more.  
  
"You smell so good, Akane," he purred. Behind them Akane's friends squealed with delight. Akane couldn't decide if she was angry or flattered. For a moment each emotion fought for domination. Finally concern won out for no reason she could pinpoint. She lifted a hand to his shoulder and pushed him away slightly.  
  
"Ranma?" she asked. "Ranma, are you alright?" He started to nod but then seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been in. He stared at Akane confused and took a step back. The confusion was replaced by a look of intense concentration. Then, unexpectedly, shock mixed with understanding flooded his facial features. He took another step back.  
  
"Oh, shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." He turned and started to run away. Before he was to far away, Ranma skidded to a stop and turned back around.  
  
"Akane, I gotta see Cologne. I'll see ya at home." He stood staring at her for a second before shaking himself and taking off again. Akane couldn't decide if she was hurt or concerned.  
  
*****  
  
Ranma sat in the center of the dojo, his head tilted back, a smile on his lips. He inhaled deeply, letting the air fill his lungs, letting Akane's scent fill him. He could feel the heat that came with the scent pool in his chest and then move down along his limbs. He found that he wished these changes had happened earlier. He couldn't imagine living without this heady odor. Unexpectedly the dojo doors slid open. Ranma opened one eye and turned slightly. Ukyo stood in the doorway, holding a very familiar item. His eyes snapped open and he watched her enter the dojo and sit across from him. She placed the notebook that served as his journal on the floor and pushed it to him. He picked it up and stared at the cover.  
  
"Did you read it?" She nodded and a hot surge of betrayal ran through him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I opened it to see who's it was and when I read your disclaimer, I got curious. You hadn't said anything to me, or anyone else for that matter. I didn't realize…" Her voice trailed off. They sat in silence.  
  
"You read all of it?" he asked finally.  
  
"Yes. Ranma?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you love her because of her scent?"  
  
"No. I think I've always loved her."  
  
"Why did you lead me on?"  
  
"I never told you I loved you, Ukyo."  
  
"No but you let me believe I had a chance." Ranma stayed silent. Ukyo had nothing else to say.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ukyo. I really am. I was afraid of losing my friends. That's part of why I didn't tell you and Shampoo. Another reason is that I was too afraid to admit it to myself."  
  
*****  
  
  
  
Ranma lay wrapped around Akane both of them bundled in her blankets. She had finally fallen asleep and he watched her. Gods, she was beautiful. Gently he reached up and touched her cheek. Her scent was still in the air and still strong but the need was not so bad now. Not since it had been sated. He felt better, happier, but something was still missing. It wasn't so much him as the Nekoken that felt incomplete. While pondering the subtle need, Ranma felt himself begin to slip into sleep and let himself go. 


End file.
